Man Sentenced To Over A Year in Prison For Walmart Threat

ST. CLOUD -- A man who tried to attack a couple outside the St. Cloud Walmart has been sentenced to 1 1/2 years in prison.

Thirty-one-year-old Philip Keyspleaded guilty in November to second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon for the attack in October 2015.

According to the criminal complaint, a couple was walking to their car just before midnight when Keys approached them dragging a baseball bat. He asked the couple if they've "ever been hit in the head with a bat?"

The couple continued walking, when the husband heard the man take a deep breath and turned around to find Keys raising the bat as if to hit them. The man, who had a permit to carry, pulled out his gun and ordered Keys to drop the bat.

Records show Keys dropped the bat, told the man to shoot him, then fled the scene.